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Wednesday, 9 July 2014

Let's get acquainted!

Hello! Today it’s my turn on the Let’s Get Acquainted blog hop organised by Plum & June so welcome back and welcome to anyone visiting for the first time! My name is Ruth and I live with Gordon and our two dogs, Charly (Jack Russell Terrier) and Wilbur (Basset Hound) just outside Limerick City, in Ireland.

Charly & Wilbur make regular appearances on the blog and are great company in the sewing room, aka Kitchen! I sew at the dining room table and have pretty much taken over that whole room. Every now and again I have to clear up when we have people over for dinner! My design wall is a sheet strung between a mirror and a bookcase and is collapsible! (Wilbur has pulled it down twice!)

Limerick is my hometown. It's a hard working town, founded by the Vikings on the banks of the Shannon river and only an hours drive away from the Atlantic ocean, my favourite spot in the whole world!

The blog name comes from Ben our previous Basset that we had from a puppy. He liked to sleep in an old shop bought baby quilt I had. He also liked to chew on it! Puppy teeth are lethal and very quickly there were multiple holes. Figuring it was un-repairable, I decided to try making my own quilt to replace it.

That was 2 1/2 years ago! Anybody who is reading this and thinking of making a quilt, don't hesitate! It's so satisfying when you have a finished quilt, you want to dance about the kitchen singing I made this, all by myself - aren't I brilliant! Of course self praise is no praise, so luckily there are linky parties and friends to cheer you on!

My favourite linky party ever is coming up in August on Lillypad Quilting: Pets on Quilts! Last year when I entered Charly there was even a hedgehog! This year will be Wilbur's turn I think! Doesn't he make a good model?

I find quilting different from the other crafts I play with in a few ways. There is something collaborative about making quilts even if only sewing at home at the kitchen table. Quilt-A-Longs, Bee's, Flickr and Facebook groups and lately Instagram makes it feel like a real community sharing the process as well as the finished quilt. I'm CB Crafty Corner on social media because the blog name is waaay too long to type!

I’m in a sewing group & 3 Bee’s at the moment so I post regularly about the blocks I’m making with links to them to try if you want to. I try to share as many links to things I’ve found useful or just really lovely to make and it helps me too as a craft journal. I can see how far I've grown in skills and projects. I also love swaps and just finished up one last week!

More than any other thing this year I’ve really enjoyed designing my own quilts. I’ve had great fun on the Medallion Quilt-A-Long run by the Modern Irish Quilt Guild and have been working on this hexie centre baby quilt I designed, not finished but getting there! This one is definitely a candidate for slow blogger link up!

My favourite quilt so far is this one. It’s a simple design but I really enjoyed the whole process of designing, making it and the changes that happened along the way!

Wilbur pondering a swap!

My quilting tip is to be brave and cut into your fabric! When I first started quilting I had no confidence in choosing colours or buying prints. Trying to save money I bought the cheapest fat quarters I could find and it was always a struggle to get the look I wanted from my first blocks. Now I think just buy the fabric you really like and don't be afraid to use it! I do still have a few oh I'm going to make a mess of this moments but thankfully they are fewer than they were! Try something new (maybe not with your most, best fabric – I’ve been hoarding a Kate Spain Fat Quarter Bundle for over a year. But just the one!) If you get stuck on something just ask! I've had so much support and great help when I've reached out for it on the blog - thank you all for all your help! It is much appreciated.

My blogging tip has to be a photo tip! Most of the time we try to take photos straight on to be accurate and show someone what we are doing. Take those shots but try changing up your angle, get down low, hunt around for the shot and you may find something different!

No kids but Godmother to 3 kids of friends and family, lots of cousins!

Actively trying to persuade Gordon and my mother (who is key in all decision making!) that we need another Basset Hound in the house!

Hate mushrooms! (Am I alone in this? Does anyone else have a food they absolutely hate?)

As part of the blog hop we’ve been helping each other out with tips and I didn’t realise I had the anti-spam number verification thing turned on. Apologies to all who had to jump through hoops to leave me a comment and thank you for making the effort. It’s turned off now!

For more quilting and blogging tips and to get acquainted with some new bloggers please visit my fellow blog hoppers today:

38 comments:

Hi Ruth. It's nice to find out a bit more about you. That black and white photo at the top is just how I imagine Ireland from the TV shows I've seen (a bit wind swept). I love that little dog kennel with the porch in your back yard. Your blue quilt looks great beside it. Well done on designing your own pattern - I haven't reached that point yet. Thanks for sharing.

Ahh you and my husband could commiserate over my cooking! He hates mushrooms, too, Ruth, but my kids and I all love them. I dice them up super fine and hide them in all sorts of things he has no idea about ; ) Love your medallion quilt!

Ruth! This was such a fantastic post! I really liked learning more about you (and the pups!) and your sewing. You did a super job of showing all of the beautiful things you make. Really enjoyed sharing my morning coffee with you :)

Oh yes, puppy teeth are lethal. When I wash and hang all of my dog's bedding on the line, it looks like a voracious family of moths have been chewing holes through all her blankets. Sadly, this means she will never get her own quilt.I don't know of any foods I won't eat. Really. None.Thanks for showing your rainbow Swoon block. I have been wondering whether I could make one with a tiny charm pack, and I think you have just proven that I can and should!

Hi Ruth! Nice to learn more about you. I think Wilbur makes an excellent model, I have no pets, but will definitely check out the pets on quilts linky party you mentioned. I love mushrooms, but hate cucumbers--everyone thinks it's weird, but I think they have a horrible chemical taste, ick. Thanks for sharing so many projects!

So glad to be included in this hop and get to know so many things about you, nice introduction. I would never be without my golden girls but yes my first quilt I ever made is under repair from those teeth and she was 2 at the time. Love NCIS and mushrooms but only if they are cooked, hate them raw

Ruth, your pups are adorable! I love a good animal and quilt photo, so thanks for the info about the Pets on Quilts linkup in August - I will definitely be looking for it! :) I agree with your photo tip and have been trying that myself a bit lately, sometimes just a small angle change can give a lot of context to the quilt! I personally love mushrooms but milk is not my friend which also means I have to steer clear of ice cream, which is a bummer (it is a migraine trigger for me).

Hi, Ruth! I hate mushrooms (its a texture thing) and LOVE bassets! We have a lot in common! My husband and I had a basset named Baxter before we had kids. He passed away 2 years ago and we still haven't gotten a new one. It still breaks our hearts a little bit. Your favorite quilt is also my favorite one of yours. It's so nice to get to know you a little bit better. Can't wait to see what you have in store in the future.

I hate mushrooms too! And so does my dog! Great getting to meet you and can't wait to read more of your posts. My Mom is renting a house in Ireland for a year, so if I can save my $$ for a flight we hope to visit while we have free accommodations. Will look for your pups in the Pets on Quilts post in August!

Your pups are adorable and your quilts are beautiful :) I really like your blue quilt! I know it is weird but I can't/won't eat chicken. . . long story, grew up on a farm, most people regret asking for details LOL I don't make it either, my husband orders it a lot when we go out.

I love your dogs and your quilts. I am just learning photography by taking a class. And we are learning - It think it's called Lightbox too. Your post after this one was great to read and I got a lot out of it. This is exactly what I am trying to learn; take better photos of my quilts. Glad to meet you on the hop, and hope someday we get to meet in person. Anne@hudsonvalleyquilts. (I posted on June 4th).

Pretty projects and I like the dog addition to your pics :-) Nice to meet you Ruth. I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms either but I don't really hate them. I don't think I have any hate relationship with food :-)

Hi Ruth, great post for the hop! Love your blue and white quilt that Wilbur is looking at (and is that his little house outside? It's amazing!). As for foods I loathe, hate, detest - black licorice! Just smelling it will make me run out of a room for fear of getting sick. I react that strongly too it.

Hi, Ruth - I came here from the New Blogger hop at Plum & June and quickly realized we are in the Global Scrap Bee together! I have enjoyed reading your post and learning more about you and your fur-babies are just wonderful. I have not traveled to Ireland but many friends have and they say it is their favourite place to so so I hope one day to have a chance to make the trip myself. I look forward to seeing more of your projects in the future.

Yay! Ruth it's so nice to learn more about you :). Still loving what you post quilting & photography! You're not alone in your dislike for mushroom, I call them slugs because they have the same texture as a snail, yuck!

I can't stand onions or tomatoes and can't understand why anyone would want to put them in their mouth. It's so hard to find food without either of them, especially pre-packed sandwiches and meals at restaurants! I love that rainbow star quilt, gorgeous!

Hi Ruth! My grandmother's name was Ruth and it's so nice to hear that name again - it seems to be a rare (but good) thing! Speaking of names, Wilbur is truly the perfect name for a basset hound. I had a beagle named Dudley for 15 years and he was such a Dudley. Your quilts are so fun and cheery. I'm not a fan of black licorice but I have a pretty varied selection of things I do like. :)